


Fire Escape Lovers

by wispofwords



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bathroom Sex, Bisexual Female Character, Consensual Infidelity, Cuddling & Snuggling, Daddy Kink, Dubious Consent, Dubious Morality, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Sex, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, First Time, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, Gender Issues, Lesbian Sex, Light Bondage, Multiple Orgasms, Mutual Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Oblivious, Open Relationships, Opposites Attract, POV Third Person, Pansexual Character, Polyamory Negotiations, Rape Roleplay, Romantic Fluff, Roommates, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Spanking, Strap-Ons, Summer Vacation, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:13:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23872951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wispofwords/pseuds/wispofwords
Summary: *BASED ON A TRUE STORY*Sky and Rue are polar opposites. Sky is shy, kind of a nerd, and a complete mess while Rue is popular, basketball captain, and emotionally stable. After going unnoticed by each other for years, their worlds collide when they somehow end up together in a foreign country. Will Sky be able to keep the promise she made to her boyfriend back home? Will this trip just be a summer vacation or will it twist their fates forever?
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 12





	1. The landing

i’ll let the moon know

so she can tell all the stars

we won the world 

with the worst set of cards

we may be fools in love

who go headfirst

tied hands

but the night will remember us

as the fire-escape lovers

with the grandest midnight plans

Sky scribbled in her journal and closed it in a rush. She had arrived at the airport - a moment she was not ready for even though she had done nothing but obsessively think about it for the past month. She put on her backpack and took her suitcase which was big enough to hold one, no probably two dead bodies. She was basically packing her entire wardrobe as she was on her way to Vietnam for 45 days. 

Sky was pulled into a hug by her dad who was not ready to say goodbye just yet. Her parents seemed anxious because she had never flown overseas or anywhere alone before. She stifled a smile as she saw them battle their dilemma of not wanting to let go of their daughter and yet worrying she would be late for her flight - which still had 3 hours until it takes off. “I am going to be fine,” she reassured even though she had no clue what she had gotten herself into. 

As she walked past the security she started to get conscious of her every action because she felt so out of place. She tried to recall the tutorial she looked up on YouTube about how to board a plane alone and the tour of the Bombay International Airport. After getting her boarding pass, she went to the washroom because she always needed to make sure she looked acceptable. Sky had a weird relationship with mirrors, she could not stand her reflection yet she could never take her eyes off herself. She thought she owed it to the world to look a certain way and almost always lived in the anxiety of knowing that she didn’t. She tucked her ash brown hair behind her ears which, after her new haircut, barely touched her shoulders. Then applied a little more of her caramel shade lipstick until her lips were darker than her deep brown eyes. She liked her eyes. They were big, with long lashes and they looked pretty under sunlight. But no matter what she did or thought or believed, she never felt good enough. 

She took a deep breath and made her way to the luggage counter. Once she was done with customs, Sky finally took a seat and found relief in knowing that now all she had to do was wait for another hour or so until her journey begins. 

She put in her earphones and tried to process all the emotions she felt. She was still shocked over how affectionate her dad was when she left.  _ When was the last time he even hugged me? Or made any conversation that wasn’t small talk?  _ But Sky didn’t want to think about her dad of all people right now so she tried to brush off these thoughts by thinking about Will, her boyfriend.  _ I can’t believe i’m going to be away from Will for so long. I don’t know how am i going to function without him, he has always been there for me. He’s been my support system through everything and now-  _

Sky was pulled away from her thoughts by the announcement that the boarding for her flight had begun. Once she was at her seat she realized her backpack was heavy and wanted to put it in the baggage compartment. The problem was that she was barely 5’2 and could not for the life of her reach the compartment but was too embarrassed to ask for help. She struggled until a man sitting behind her seat noticed her and offered to help. As she took her seat, she could feel the excitement build up. She always loved take offs. It had all the thrill of a roller coaster going up and none of the horror of it plunging down. Once she was done with her flavorless airplane meal and people began to doze off, she gazed out the window and got mesmerized by the twinkling city lights.  _ Bombay is just as pretty from 30,000 feet in the air as it is up close,  _ Sky thought as she finally let herself relax and think of all the things she was looking forward to. 

Sky was a notorious planner; she had already decided every tourist spot, every cafe, every street she wanted to visit. More than all of that though, she was looking forward to the main reason for her trip - a sex education program she volunteered for. A few months back when she came to know about this program, she and her friends immediately filled out an application but eventually everyone backed out. She had began to panic because she could not imagine travelling alone. She sat in the college cafeteria, completely distraught, weighing her options and asking her friend Olivia for advice. 

That’s when Rue Miller walked up to their table and said, “I heard you guys were also thinking of going for the volunteering program.” “Yeah, there is this great sex education one called Sexpress in Vietnam but I have dropped out, although Sky is planning to go,” Olivia explained. Sky could not believe that Olivia would say that when she had not decided to go yet. Rue turned to Sky and exclaimed, “finally someone who has the balls to go alone!” Sky was taken aback but took this as a compliment, for someone who has not traveled much at all, it really was pretty ballsy. But she would still like to have a companion so she explained all the details of the program to Rue who quickly became interested. “This seems pretty cool, I’ll fill up an application too,” Rue said as she was about to leave when Sky offered to help her fill it. Sky was always nervous around people she didn’t know well and even when she wanted to help someone she was never able to speak up but in that moment she felt compelled. 

Rue’s face lit up when she heard that and immediately handed Sky her phone. “Will it take long?” Rue asked because the application seemed to have a long list of questions. “Yeah, it could take a while,” Sky said to which Rue simply replied that she should keep her phone and walked out the cafeteria to her friends. Olivia looked at Sky wide-eyed, not believing Rue’s actions but Sky smiled to herself because even if it was a little absurd, she found it kind of cute.

Rue was nothing like Sky by any extent; she was popular, captain of the basketball team, and hung out with all the cool kids. She even looked different. She had an athletic body with a small chest; her hair was dark, short, and styled in a pixie cut. She had a piercing on her left ear and a mole on her right cheek. On the other hand, Sky was pretty curvy with her big breasts and butt which she thought were her only attractive features. She was shorter than Rue by two inches but they had a mile of differences between them. 

When Sky tried to imagine the possibility of spending 6 weeks in another country with Rue, she thought it would never work out. They were just so different. But she realized she did admire Rue because despite her popularity, she was incredibly humble. She could make someone as socially awkward as Sky feel comfortable enough to offer help or even reach out for it. Sky pushed all her doubts aside because no matter how much of a planner she was, she knew life doesn’t happen if you never take a chance.

As she reminisced, she slowly dozed off to sleep with her head against the window and light airplane buzz in her ears. 

Sky was woken by a slight jolt of the plane. It seemed like they had begun to descend. Once they landed on the Hanoi airport, she quickly got off the plane. Her anxiety was building up, she could not deal with the fact that she really was in Vietnam, thousands of miles away from home. She comforted herself by remembering that Jade was going to pick her up. Jade was a member of the Sexpress team who was going to assist Sky on her trip. Jade and Sky had been texting each other for the past month and Jade was helping her out with everything from what to pack to how to speak Vietnamese. 

Once Sky was out of the airport and met Jade, she immediately felt better. She felt like she was finally in safe hands. Jade gave her a quick hug and asked, “How was your flight? Did everything with the visa go smoothly?” “Yeah, it was alright, though I had some trouble communicating with the airport staff. Did I make you wait too long?”, asked Sky who was still a little nervous. “No, not at all. We should get moving though, the bus will arrive soon,” Jade added as she took Sky’s hand and led her to the bus stop. 

As they walked to the bus stop Sky found herself thinking that Jade was very pretty, with her short, straight chestnut hair that ended below her ears and her pale skin which seemed like it would be very soft to touch. They took a bus from the airport to Sky’s hostel where she would be staying for the rest of her trip. 

Sky let the warm summer air of Hanoi seep into her skin as the bus rode by little bungalows with red gable roofs which Jade informed were a peculiar feature of houses in Hanoi. “Would you wanna get lunch once you settle in? Rue could join us too,” Jade suggested. “Yeah, that sounds nice. When did Rue arrive?” Sky asked. “She arrived yesterday and I think she has already settled in at the hostel,” replied Jade.  _ I wonder how her flight was. I can’t believe she chose to take a flight with a 10 hour layover at Bangkok. What does one even do at an airport for 10 frickin hours? She could have just taken a direct flight with me instead,  _ Sky thought to herself. Jade turned to her and said that they have nearly reached the hostel and should get down from the bus.

Sky was impressed by the hostel. It was six storeys tall with a huge lounge area at the entrance which had a bar and all the walls were decorated with paintings of various quotes and a map of Vietnam.  _ The Signature Inn _ , Sky read as she stood at reception, ready to check in. She had a good feeling about this. 

Jade showed Sky the room she would be staying in, it was pretty compact with 6 bunk beds which she would be sharing with other people who had also volunteered in different programs. The room was empty and it seemed like no one except Rue had arrived yet. Sky picked a bottom bunk as she was afraid of heights and top bunk beds freaked her out. 

Just when the two of them were about to leave the room, Rue walked in and exclaimed, “Sky! You’re here!” And leapt into a hug. Sky was taken aback because she knew Rue wasn’t the kind of person who hugs a lot, she was quite aloof even with her own friends, but Sky embraced her too. When she pulled away, Sky gave a puzzled look to Rue who was struggling to explain the sudden show of affection. Rue lightly scratched the back of her head and said, “Well, um, it is nice to see a familiar face,” barely hiding how awkward she felt. Jade chuckled and reminded them that they have to get lunch. Sky took her purse, put some lipstick on and took off with Rue and Jade, onto her first day in Vietnam. 


	2. Tripping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note:- Hindi is the national language of India where Sky and Rue are from.

Sky felt happy and full after a scrumptious meal of vegan spring rolls at a small restaurant. She loved that instead of regular chairs and tables, they had small plastic red stools and tiny tables to keep your food on. This was a hallmark of the food culture in Hanoi. Streets were full of little restaurants serving local cuisine with this seating ambience spread all over the sidewalk. Another hallmark of Vietnamese food though, is chopsticks; which did not sit well with Sky who had been clumsy all her life. 

Sky was the kind of girl who always had food stains on her t-shirt, stray marks of blue ink between her fingers, and no matter how much people tried to teach her basic etiquette or tried to bully her into being graceful, nothing ever changed. She had accepted that she’s going to stumble and spill and fall her way through life. And now here she was, with a pair of wooden chopsticks in front of her when she still wasn’t quite sure if she had been using forks correctly. 

Sky tried her best to pick at least one roll up. Jade tried to teach her the Vietnamese way, the Chinese way and the Malaysian way of holding chopsticks but Sky was none the wiser. Rue, on the other hand, learnt it pretty quickly. She picked her spring rolls and noodles up with just as much ease as she did with forks. Sky watched her half impressed and half embarrassed over her own performance. In the end she just gave up and ate how they eat back home, with her hands. 

As they left the restaurant, Jade got a phone call; her cab had arrived. “I am sorry I can’t drop you guys back to the hostel,” she said while paying the restaurant bill. “I’ll have to leave now. Are you sure you can go back on your own?” Rue and Sky nodded and told her not to worry. “We will use Maps,” said Sky as she went in for a goodbye hug. 

Sky and Rue started walking down the first street they saw without looking up if they were on the right way. They stopped at a store to get water bottles and then kept roaming. 

“Hanoi is so beautiful it is almost worth exploring in this humid 40 degree weather,” remarked Rue as they walked by tall buildings with a touch of French architecture and local boutiques hidden between flower shops which flooded the air with the delicate scent of jasmines. 

“I think I am already in love,” Sky said with eyes brimming with wonder. 

“Are you going to take pictures of every building you find pretty?” Rue asked. Sky nodded thoughtlessly and clicked a few more pictures. They wandered aimlessly for another 20 minutes and then stood confused at a crossroad. It was dawning on them that they would not reach the hostel this way. “We should open Maps. Actually, you should; I am terrible with directions,” said Sky. Rue whipped out her phone and saw that they were more than a mile away from the hostel. “At least we’re still in Old Quarter,” she said cheekily.  
\- - -  
The sun was about to set when Sky woke up from her afternoon nap. Rue was reading in her bunk which was right in front of Sky’s. She closed her book and asked, “Wanna go get high and explore the city some more?” Sky nodded, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

“So, where are we going exactly?” Sky asked, tying her shoelaces. 

“There’s a place nearby - Warning Pub. We could get a joint there.”

“How come you know about this place?”

“I spent my time yesterday checking out the hostel and having conversations with other tourists,” said Rue as she looked up the way to the pub. “One girl had been staying here a while so I just asked her. She asked around for me and texted me the details and I thought I should take you along with me.”

Rue and Sky walked in through the door of Warning Pub. The place was two storeys tall with people smoking and sipping beer in every corner. Rue bought a joint and then headed with Sky to the first floor. It was a small area with exposed brick walls and huge tires to sit on with local music playing in the background.

Sky thought being in that pub was very surreal. She usually smoked weed or got drunk at lowkey parties or with Will at her place but never outside in public with someone she practically just met. This was because she had very low tolerance. She would start stumbling after two drinks or half a joint. After many nights of throwing up and getting herself in bad situations, she had learned to only get high with people she trusted. But as they smoked, Sky realised that she felt carefree. She leaned back on the wall and stretched out her legs. She was relaxed. Then she started smiling for no apparent reason. 

“Are you high already?” Rue asked with disbelief in her voice.

“No. I mean..maybe? I don’t know. Okay yeah, probably.” Sky said, giggling over nothing in particular. _Am I high? I cannot be. I have only taken a few hits. Wait is that a Hindi song?_

“That’s a Hindi song!” Sky exclaimed excitedly. 

“What?”

“The song that they are playing. It is in Hindi!”

“No. It is not. We are in Vietnam, Sky. Why would they play a Hindi song here? It is clearly in Vietnamese.”

“Listen carefully. It is Hindi, I swear.”

Rue considered it. She listened carefully and found herself thinking that maybe it is in Hindi. She shook her head and laughed; they were both untethered from reality. “Do you wanna go out?” she asked. 

“Yes!”

“Sky, walk straight!” Rue exclaimed as Sky was wobbling on the sidewalk. “I am! Look,” Sky retorted as she wobbled some more. 

Sky kept stumbling and looked like she would just wander off into any street she saw so Rue grabbed her arm, slid her hand down and laced her fingers with Sky’s. Sky looked at her wide-eyed, not understanding why they were suddenly holding hands. Rue smiled at her confusion and whispered as she leaned in, “Don’t get lost.”

Sky was now extremely aware of Rue. _Wow, we are holding hands. Her hand is so..soft and..cold_.

_Wait, where are we?_

“Where are we going?” Sky asked.

“No clue. But I don’t think we are too far from the hostel. Why? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Don’t worry, I can take us back easily if you wanna go.”

_No, I like this_ ; Sky thought. _I trust you_. 

Sky looked around and noticed an ice cream shop. She pulled Rue’s hand and started running to it. “Ice cream!” she squealed with child-like excitement. Rue was amused but ran with her because she wanted some too.

“Which flavour?” She asked.

“Vanilla!” 

“You like vanilla?”

Sky smiled suggestively and said, “yes, but only in ice cream.”

Rue chuckled and said, “me too.”

Sky took a bite of her ice-cream and began walking away from the shop when Rue called out to her, “wait! We haven’t even paid for the ice-cream yet. Where are you going?”

“Shit. I forgot all about it.”

Rue laughed and paid for the ice cream. “Do you want to get more food?” she asked as they started walking towards the hostel.

“Yes. Let’s get chips, I wanna know what flavours they have here!”

They walked into Circle K - a mini supermarket store near their hostel. It had a mix of Vietnamese and international snacks and the disorienting white lighting that supermarkets often do. Sky picked up a water bottle, a pack of chips, and stood with Rue in the checkout line, humming to the pop music playing in the background. 

Rue could feel her high disappear. She has always had a very high tolerance and even when she was pretty high she could still be aware of her surroundings and be in control. She didn’t like this very much and would love to let go and just be but she liked being relied on and taking care of those around her, like Sky. 

She noticed that they served food too. They had egg banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich), noodles, dumplings, iced coffee and tea. Rue could really go for some noodles right now. She asked Sky if she would like some too and Sky nodded with enthusiasm. She had the munchies.

Sky and Rue headed back to the hostel and then settled down in a corner of the lounge area with their takeaway noodles. To Sky’s disappointment, they came with a pair of chopsticks. She picked them, took a deep breath and tried her hardest - but it was still beyond her. 

“Do you want me to feed you?” Rue asked, not believing a person can struggle so much with _eating_.

“Really? I’d be done faster. But I am 19 and I should be able to do this, right?”

“It’s okay,” Rue replied and she picked up a bite for Sky. “Not everyone is as talented as me.”

Sky smiled. “You’re so smug. I hate it.” she said, playfully rolling her eyes.

“No, you don’t. Now open your mouth.”

Sky finally took a bite of her noodles. Rue beamed with pride and picked up another one for her. She enjoyed feeding Sky as much as Sky enjoyed eating. “What do you want to do after this?” she asked.

“How does going back to our dorm and just passing out sounds?”

“It sounds perfect,” Rue said as she watched Sky earnestly wait for her next bite, still a little high with a flush of happiness in her cheeks. 

With their tummies and hearts full, they headed upstairs. Rue fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow while Sky stayed up for another few hours telling Will about her day. 

_It has been a long one,_ she thought as she slowly pulled up the covers, _but so fun_. 


End file.
